Will the Gadgetzan Auctioneer be nerfed?
Well, in our interview with Gaara from team TempoStorm, he thought it was likely. Blizzard certainly has form when it comes to nerfing cards which promote 'uninteractive' play styles. On the other hand, Miracle Rogue is such an exotic deck, that I think Blizzard will be reluctant to punish innovation and creativity. Or at the least, they should be. A card game where the only viable archetypes are Aggro and Control would become stale very fast.
Are all Miracle Rogue decks all the same?
Nope. It's come a long way from its origins, and is still mutating. Last month saw innovation from AtaK, who opted to cut the Leeroy Combo in favor of running Malygos and Sinister Strikes as his finisher of choice, thereby bypassing the vulnerability to Taunts. Malygos is often cited as a sub-par Legendary because it can't instantly effect the board when it's played—but because you can keep him safe with Conceal, and use expensive spells on the same turn with Prepartion, Malygos is a devastatingly powerful card.
AtaK also pioneered running Earthen Ring Farseers and Azure Drakes over the trusty Acolytes of Pain and Loot Hoarders on the basis that having some form of board presence is always likely to improve your odds. There's also been a resurgence of regular Leeroy-style Miracle Rogue's, but running the same basic package as AtaK with Earthen Rings and Azure Drakes. Generally most decks also ran both Edwin and Leeroy to assure they would have some form of win condition in the event of failing to draw an Auctioneer. You can see a typical list on the right hand side of this page, which was put together by Tidesoftime. (Read more about it here .)
Any tips on how I should play it?
I won't lie to you, this is a very complicated deck to play and it will take time to master. (Which is another reason it isn't widespread on the lower ranks of the ladder.) It requires you to make a lot of quick decisions, often right up to the timer, in order to deal maximum damage. Generally, you want to play your Edwin VanCleef early to both limit his exposure to hard removal and put your opponent on a fast 'clock'. However, don't invest too many cards buffing him in this—you don't want to use two Shadowsteps to get a huge VanCleef, only to have him eat a Deadly Shot.
What should I keep in my opening hand?
Mulligan aggressively for Deadly Poisons, Backstabs, Loot Hoarders, and Auctioneers. Auctioneer should always be kept in your opening hand, and in fact, I tend to aggressively mulligan for him in most match-ups—even throwing back Deadly Poisons if I'm not against an aggressive class like Warlock, Hunter or Mage.
Wow, this deck is expensive!
Yes, Miracle Rogue isn't cheap, and it becomes a lot less effective if you try to use budget replacements. However, you can sub out Edwin VanCleef for a Mana Addict (you should run two Conceals in this case), while Bloodmage Thalnos can be replaced by a Kobold Geomancer . And although it will greatly impact the deck's effectiveness, Leeroy can be replaced by Arcane Golem . The other Rares and Epics in the deck are irreplaceable.
I hope you enjoyed reading about the wondrous Miracle Rogue. Remember, while copying decklists in their entirety can certainly win you games, it's often better to adjust the deck to common themes or elements in the current metagame. For example, right now I'd say most decks should be running some form of weapon removal as Shaman is making a strong comeback due to the popularity of Handlock and the utter absence of Hunter. As always, this is Vincent Sarius, and the pleasure was mine!
